When I saw this volume on the bookshelf, I shook my head. I picked it up and examined it a couple of times before finally deciding to take it home. I did not believe that a graphic version of the 9/11 Commission report would be anything more than an inadequate summary at best, or a sad joke at worst. I was wrong. The graphic version of the 9/11 Commission report is fascinating, communicating in words and pictures the most important concepts and vents of that fateful day.

The book lays out many aspects of 9/11, from a side-by-side chronology of the attacks of the four jetliners used that day by terrorists, to the history and operation of Al Qaeda, to the way our government did and did not respond to the crisis, to the experience of first responders and victims of the attacks. Laying out its findings in neutral tones, the report details the confusion and dysfunction that allowed 19 terrorists to enter the country, train to fly, obtain access to airliners and wreak destruction and death on America. Americans are portrayed in our multi-racial realities. Terrorists are portrayed fairly frequently as menacing, with sneers and scowls that some might consider unneeded and even approaching racist. Others might find this portrayal appropriate and even subdued, given the mayhem they eventually produced. But this is a minor criticism and id not unduly ruffle my sensitive feathers.

This book is fascinating and instructive, and not at all heavy on gore. A person assassinated by a hand grenade, for example, ifs shown without blood. Politicians of oath sides are depicted accurately and without attempts at personal caricature. Definitively a good choice for the age 10 and up, and would be a helpful primer to those who plan to read the full report. The forward by Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, he the Commission's Chair and Vice Chain, lends credibility to the volume. A winner and a real public service.

9/11 Report
By Sid Jacobson
This book is about the plane crashes on September 11th 2001. It's a comic book with lots of information. It has all the planes and terrorists that crashed into New York, Washington D.C. and Virginia. It's like the book, "9/11 Commission Report," only in a comic book. It also talks about what the government knew and how Bin Laden and Al Qaeda planned the attack since 1993.
We enjoyed this book because it had clear, nice pictures and was organized well. We also enjoyed it because it was descriptive and explained a lot and it was pretty easy to follow. It was also nice because it was facts, not opinions.
We wish it could have been different by having less boring information that didn't matter. We also wish it was different by having it more understandable for younger readers.
We would recommend this book to the ages: 15 and Up. We recommend it to both males and females because it's important to know the crisis that happened and how we could avoid a terrorist attack next time!
We would recommend this book because it has lots of useful information and tells facts that many people don't know about the terrorists and the attacks.

Written by: Jacqui, Alena, Pascal, and Adam

This has to go down as something our children will be reading in school. What happened on that day can not be forgotten nor will it be with books like this.

While I disagree with some of the conclusions in the report, I found most of it very informative. The comic format works well for at least 90% of the pages, the rest just resort to showing logos and text boxes.

I really appreciate the effort to publish this as a graphic novel, which makes it more accessible to a broader audience (including myself) who are not likely to read the lengthy report.

Now, can someone please publish a graphic version of the Bipartisan Iraq Study Group?

Naturally, this graphic adaptation has been getting a lot of flack from different people related to the September 11th attacks, because they still feel that comics are for a child's enjoyment, to entertain and encourage a child's humor, and they don't know that in some ways they can do more than books in both informing through words and explaining through art. Sometimes a lot more can be said through a picture with words.

I have to say though, after sloughing through this graphic adaptation of the 9/11 Report, I will not be reading that long and important source any time soon. The graphic novel is heavy and complicated enough to get through. But if one wishes to get the complete story of not just exactly what happened on September 11th, 2001, but all the events leading up to it with the terrorists and the state of our foreign policy with the Middle East, then pick up this graphic novel and take it all in . . . it's all there.

Apart from the introduction from two of the commissioners of the 9/11 Report, the graphic adaptation begins with a four-way split streamline of the four planes, when they took off and under what circumstances, what happened on the planes with the hijackers, and what the eventual resulting attack was. What makes this quite fascinating is that by charting them all together one can see the initial plan of having all the hijackers carry out their plans at the same time, but due to different circumstances and delays this was not the case.

In the next chapter, the authors go into detail on how the FAA and different government bodies could have and should have done things differently according to all their previous regulations. It does prove that had everyone been doing what they should've, some of those planes may not have hit those targets, or at least something else and less devastating might have happened.

The rest of the book is spent in going into the history of the circumstances that led up to the hijackers boarding the planes. It's heavy reading, but the pictures make it a lot clearer and easier to understand. One gets a full picture on everyone and what they were doing, and how many different people and places were involved. It's actually quite surprising.

The book (as I'm sure the 9/11 Report does also) is clear in pointing out that while the Bush administration was certainly to blame in some cases, the previous Clinton administration was very much also, and even had everything been working smoothly, the attacks may still have not been prevented. One can say they would've never happened had Clinton carried out the assassination of Usama Bin Laden, as he'd planned in the late 90s; but one can also say had Bush focused on terrorism in the Middle East when he came into office, as all his advisors were telling him (specifically Richard Clarke), then again September 11th may never have happened.

While I'm sure the graphic adaptation covers nowhere near the same ground as the actual report, it nevertheless serves its own unique purpose in making everything more succinct and clearer and easier to understand as a whole. It's the perfect book to keep in one's library so that one day in the future one can pick it up again, read it, and understand exactly what happened and more importantly why on September 11th, 2001.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com

This book is simply to designed to misinform stupid people about 9/11.

9/11 was an "inside job" that murdered 2700 people.

This is a crime.

great book. it made the report seem alot more interesting that it probably was. organized, with great drawings and some cool large fold out map type pages.

I didn't have time to read the 9-11 Commission's report, and its breadth overwhelmed me. This book explained all the main points in the report with easy language, graphics and impartiality. All lengthy, complicated reports should be done in comic-book style like this was-- then people will read them and understand what is really going on in the world. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know what led up to 9-11.

This is a great review of the events of 9/11. Lots of background on both the preparation by the terrorists and the lack of preparation that made the US vulnerable. A very enjoyable read for all ages, well, maybe not the little ones!

"The Commission Recommends:

WE SHOULD OFFER AN EXAMPLE OF MORAL LEADERSHIP COMMITTED TO TREAT PEOPLE HUMANELY, ABIDE BY THE RULE OF LAW, AND BE GENEROUS AND CARING TO OUR NEIGHBORS. THE VISION OF THE FUTURE SHOULD STRESS LIFE OVER DEATH: INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY."

I have never read the 9/11 Commission's report. And while I've questioned my own ability to be a fully-informed American citizen while lacking a familiarity with the contents of such an important historic document, the original report's 568 pages have always felt like an insurmountable read despite my obvious abilities as a reader. Any notion that the typical adolescent student might ever tackle those 568 pages is rather inconceivable.

In 117 pages that are presented in an inviting graphic format, comic book icons Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon -- contemporaries of my parents -- summarize and superbly illustrate the findings of the 9/11 Commission. They present the essential information from the Commission's report in a manner that makes it fully accessible to adolescents whose lives are forever going to be impacted by what happened that day, and who will participate in future decisions concerning how we might move forward in a way that we can both sustain human civilization on Earth and better fulfill the promise of America's highest ideals.

"SCHEDULED TO LEAVE NEWARK AIRPORT AT 8 O'CLOCK -- FITTING INTO THE TERRORISTS' PLAN OF FOUR FLIGHTS LEAVING AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME -- UNITED FLIGHT 93 HAD TO SIT ON THE GROUND FOR 42 MINUTES BECAUSE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC"

The book is quick to engage readers through the use of long, folding-out pages that present a graphic timeline of the events taking place simultaneously on the four highjacked aircraft and following them to their tragic conclusion. This first section concludes with a haunting illustration in which black and gray ribbons of smoke drift across the Manhattan skyline in the background and across the profile of Lady Liberty in the foreground.

The book proceeds to reveal details of the government's inability to promptly and efficiently react to the attacks, the history of the "New Terrorism," a history of previous threats and terrorist attacks against U.S. interests, and the evolution of America's counterterrorism efforts. (It is fascinating to see Bill Clinton's pre-9/11 agonizing over what collateral loss of life might be acceptable if Bin Laden had been targeted.) We also learn the details of the selection and training of the hijackers, the heroism at Ground Zero, and the eventual U.S. military response to the attacks.

It seems inevitable that a failure to assume the moral leadership recommended by the Commission will result in a continued growth of the ranks of those around the world who are opposed to U.S. interests and are willing to act violently. An example of that process, as cited by the Commission is:

"PAKISTAN'S ENDEMIC POVERTY, WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION, AND OFTEN INEFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ISLAMIST RECRUITMENT. MILLIONS OF FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY THE POOR, SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OR MADRASSAS. MANY OF THESE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN USED AS INCUBATORS FOR VIOLENT EXTREMEISM. IN KARACHI ALONE, THERE ARE 859 MADRASSAS TEACHING MORE THAN 200,000 YOUNGSTERS."

I certainly appreciate the hard work and vision of the distinguished Americans who served on the 9/11 Commission. But I also think that Jacobson and Colon each deserve a medal for transforming the important yet impenetrable report produced by the Commission into a readily digestible record of the history surrounding the unfathomable events of September 11, 2001. I feel extremely well informed for having read their book and so thankful that this notable work provides effective access and thereby contributes significantly to the national dialogue.

It is a book that certainly belongs in every middle and high school in America.

The audience for this book can be divided into two kinds of people: those who are familiar enough with the details and findings around 9/11, and; those who are only superficially aware with the happenings of 9/11, having explored little beyond what was reported in and speculated upon in the general media. I'd count myself in the former category, and hence this review is more relevant to a group of people who do already have a fair amount of insight into this event.

For such a group then, my overall stance is that this book is not worth the time, and I wouldn't give it more than a 2-star rating. If you picked up the book like me, you'd either do it because you a) wanted to or expected to learn a reasonable amount that was new, and/or; b) for the sheer aesthetics and the style of the book, which you'd hope would make irrelevant the fact that the substance would be old. On the first front, the book definitely did not live up to my expectations, with the sole exception of driving home very strongly the point on the lack of coordination between the multifarious US intelligence agencies. On the second front though, I enjoyed the book much more, as the book uses some very effective stylistic approaches, such as the parallel timelines for the four aircrafts, and overall has superb graphics.

Before concluding, I'd like to add that even though I am not equipped to comment on the book from the perspective of readers relatively fresh to 9/11's details, my sense is that this book is going to be a very worthwhile experience (I'd probably give it a 4-star in this case) for them. It does contain a lot of insight, and presents the insight in a very accessible form. Balancing my own and what I think were the author's intended audiences' perspectives, I've given this book a 3-star rating, but really, each of the two groups should take a call individually and take a go/no-go decision to read this book accordingly.

If you want a unique historical depiction of history, read Joe Sacco. No one wants to read what we all saw in the news over, and over, and over again. As a Graphic Narrative, this 9/11 Report merely attempts to mimic the form. Most of the illustrations are just digital tracings of photos. It's poorly stylized, and has little to no direction on the page. It's no different than the "Left Behind" series, which God uses as toilet paper.

it makes reading the report much easier to get through. much more readable. i looked through the original but knwe i would never read it, but this works.. you can always get more info or read the other if you want but if not this version is for anybody

This is a very easy to read adaptation of the very difficult to get through full version by the 911 committee. It is easy to read in graphic (comic book) form, but the subject matter is treated as seriously as it deserves to be. The timelines showing when each event took place and the minute by minute reports of the events on 9/11 are very helpful. The report sheds light on some information, raises some questions that remain unanswered, points out where things went wrong in our preparedness. It also makes you ask how well YOU would have responded in the same situation. Frightening, but very important to read!

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation is a non-fiction graphic novel based on the report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. This book takes the 9/11 Commission report, a 568-page document, and presents this important historical document in a 132-page comic book style format. The book chronicles what happened, minute-by-minute, to each of the planes involved in the 9/11 attack, and well as background information on the conditions that led up to the attack. It also provides the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission for how to prevent such an attack in the future. I am a high school teacher and just got funding for a class set of this wonderful book. It is excellent!

As an anti Iraq war and slightly anti American Scottsman (mainly due to a certain Mr. G.W.Bush) I had no real interest in reading the 9/11 report which I felt would only back up my views on the whole tragic event anyway. I couldn't resist though this graphic adaptation. I was more interested in how much "Hollywood-isation" would go into the story of the day (along with the months before and after) but also the graphical representation of, let us be honest, some pretty ugly looking people (or at least ugly as far as graphic novels go) such as Miss Rice, Mr. Rumsfeld, Cheney, Powell and of course Bush.

My surprise was pleasant. The novel was well presented and drawn in such a way that the stories of the day were easily followed (using four separate timelines for each aeroplane is brilliant). The afore-mentioned people (and others) were not made to look different (or better) in any way, only generic policemen and firemen (for example) were perhaps drawn with slightly more chiselled features and more athletic physiques. Al Quaida, although rightly depicted as the "bad guys", were not drawn in such a way as to repulse and Islam is not indicated as the enemy in any way.

The best thing I could say about the whole book is that if 9/11 had never happened, this would truly be the most exiting graphic novel ever produced. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could also suggest its use as a way to depict the events around 9/11 to those who find more general reading a little tough.

I gave this book to my wife for Christmas. She always wanted to read the 9/11 Report but it was too thick of a book. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation is a great compliment. It uses illustrations to help visually with what was happening.

Expertly drawn, this graphic novelization of the events surrounding the sad events that occured on 9/11/01, is a condensed version of the official government 9/11 Commission's report on what happened immediatly before, during, and after that tragic day. You can imagine that the commission's actual final findings,laid out in dry, sterile, "government speak," is probably a BOOK LENGTH report HUNDREDS of pages long, and FILLED with mind-numbing detail, including thousands of numbers and statistics. This novel condenses the report to an easily readable format, accessible to anyone from 12 to 112! Most importantly, the authors and artists don't try to sensationalize, and thus in turn trivialize, this sad day when many people were killed. Violent imagery is kept to a minimum. If you are a parent, and want to try and explain the events around 9/11 to a child in the age range of 12 - 17, this would be a great gift! Although it is artwork, neither the facts nor the events have been "dumbed down" for small children. The book is most probably suited for kids in Junior High and High school! The book is a KEEPER, and could potentially become even a family heirloom that could be handed down through the years to the next generation.

This is a brilliant idea, and I think more official reports should be handled in this forward-thinking manner if we are to ever get the average citizen (especially youth) interested in current affairs at all. Presenting information in a way that's not only easy to understand, but compelling and visually interesting is the very first challenge of design, and I think this book totally nails the concept. The artwork is also pretty good (not completely mesmerizing, but efficient and direct in its own right -- and, to be fair, having artwork that's too dramatic/experimental would probably go sailing over the precarious line they tread by presenting this information in comic form). Having said that, a serious complaint of mine is that the actual physical design of the book is very poor -- the cover artwork is extremely amateur and doesn't reflect at all the immense importance of the report or the fact that it's being presented in this incredibly unique way. This is very frustrating, as the book is struggling to be, and should be, taken seriously in its own right. The book could also stand to be about an inch to an inch and a half bigger on all sides; the artwork fairly often ends up trapped in the gutter (the area closest to the spine) and thus becomes completely unreadable. Again, an amateur mistake that detracts from the story that needs to be told. Hopefully in future editions, these problems will be corrected so that what is now a brilliant but flawed book can become a truly engaging and stimulating piece of historical literature that readers will be excited to keep in their libraries and share with others.

A graphic adaptation of the 9/11 report? That seemed kind of...well sick to me. Who wants to read a comic about such a horrible tragedy? These were my thoughts as I flipped through this book. What I found was more of an amazing adaptation of the report.

The book starts out with a timeline that explains what all four planes were doing at what time. This is a good way to actually visualize those days events. The book also captures the chaos and confusion between all the government agencies that day which may not have been as clearly felt without this sort of depiction.

The book is fairly accurate and seems to follow the commissions report. There are some parts like what may have happened on some of the planes that are probably imagined. I think this is a more interesting way to get to the core of what the 9/11 commission found instead of reading the long report. I highly recommend this respectful depiction of 9/11.

The 9/11 Commission Report has been amply rebutted, and members of the 9/11 Commission have not answered the several dozen ommissions and distortions identified by independent researchers. A good starting point for viewing the work of these researchers is the multimedia presentation "Fatally Flawed: The 9/11 Commission Report." In fact there is prima facie evidence for the use of expertly placed explosives to cause the collapse of 1, 2, and 7 World Trade Center.

This is a graphic adaptation of The 9/11 Report, as released by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. It is an abridgment of the original report, in comic book form. I would imagine that it's easier to follow than the original report, not that I read the original. The drawings are excellent to be sure. One problem I had with the book is that the text boxes are sometimes positioned in a way that makes it unclear in which order to read them. Overall though, it's a very well put together book. But when all is said and done, it's still a government report, which isn't the most interesting thing in the world to read. Very educational, though.

I'm american! I can't understand anything unless it's in picture form or on the TV!

Unlike the original 9/11 report which was ponderous and difficult to read, the graphical adaptation is quite "friendly". It makes an otherwise predominantly unavailable set of facts and sequences of events very friendly to the Amreican public. I believe that every American, man, woman and child, must read this book. It shows our past, present and future vulnerability to the overwhelming threat of terrorism from both outside and inside our great land. This is a land full of power and glory. In order to preserve our freedom and liberty, which we, unfortunately take for granted, we must awaken the the facts of the 21st century. That is that there are people and organizations around this planet that are committed to our destruction. Only undestanding the motives and methods of these people do we stand a chance to stop them. We as citzens owe it to ourselves and to our future generations to adjust to the threat that is omnipresent from these terrorists. Nobody but the American people themselves can defeat this enemy. This graphic novel makes it obvious and easy to understand. Read it America for those who do not read are as bad off as those who can not read and in this case it is an obligation that we can not ignore.

Bought after a brief review on bbc.co.uk, I wanted to know more about this travesty on its 5th anniversary. A graphic presentation seemed to somehow add a drama that simple text alone (in terms of a report anyaway) could not give.
Great illustrations, fascinating and shocking facts, and huge fold out sections add amazing detail the whole affair.

A solid buy.

I have the government 9/11 report and while it is interesting, disturbing, and many other things that I will not go into now, the reading of the white book it was very dry at times. This graphic adaptation book provides a good short cut, having said that it is no substitute for the "white" book. This is the classic comic we all used when we did not read the assigned homework at school and hoped we could bluff our way through.

Since the day I received this book, it's been on loan to
no fewer than 6 different friends who spotted it on my
counter. It must be good, but I may never know! ! !

Utterly faithful to the 9/11 Commission Report, the authors have created a most accessible and comprehensive rendering with text and art that transcend the genre of "comic book". Their work does great service to the work of the 9/11 Commission and to the people who experienced that day in New York, in Pennsylvania, in Washington D.C., in the skies and around the world. The hardback will become a keepsake for generations.

This is an excellent way to understand the events of 9/11. It shows what was happening concurrently and how events affected each other. Some folks think
this is a 'comic-book' version; but a good percentage of
people are visual: seeing things in pictures helps them
to understand. I appreciated the detail of the book.
There is quite a bit of history that goes with the events of that day and a good portion is covered in this book, according to the 9/11 report.

This is a very handy way to communicate the voluminous official report and make it more accessible to the general public, but...

To get a clearer picture, see the movie "9/11 Press For Truth", which gives a more detailed and personal account of an alternative, highly respectable, investigation done by a Family Steering Committee made up mainly of 9/11 widows...they probably were the root cause to finally get the 9/11 commission going but they have so much more to offer than official 'findings'. Buy the DVD or download in free Google vdo format.

To best judge the 911 commission it is logical to look at the commissioners themselves. As chief executive Philip Zelikow was the chief architect of the report. Zelikow is a personal friend of Condoleeza Rice one of the chief witnesses called to testify. He is also a rabid neo con who worked under Bush at the National Security council.

The families of victims wanted him removed. One of the commissioners Max Cleland resigned calling the commission a 'scam' and a 'disgrace.' Only Zelikow and Jamie Gorelick were allowed to see all the documents and then had to get clearance to even consider them within the confines of the 'investigation.' There is no mention of WTC7 ; a 47 story building that came down without being struck by a plane.

The vast majority of the questions given by the victims families were never answered. Important witnesses were never called. Only those who could support the 'official conspiracy theory' were ever called to testify and many of those did not do so under oath. The commission was only given 15 million dollars; a measly sum.

All in all the report is a useless document that serves only to perpetuate the myths that surround the event, myths a large portion of the American people no longer believe.

This review refers to "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation" by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon...

Opening with a foreword by the Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission(Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton), commending the Graphic Artists for their eye opening account of the commission findings, what you will find here is an easy to understand, condensed, but accurately stated adaptation of the commission's findings and their recommendations in trying to prevent such disaster from recurring.

The book written in the format of a colorful comic book,makes it an easy and fast read for all to get a complete grip on the events leading up to, the day of, the aftermath, and the study of the who, what, where and why of the devastating attack by terrorists on 9/11/01. It starts with a timeline of the day the 4 planes were boarded and then taken over, the routes and flight numbers identified,the hijackers movements, and last radio contacts before the catastrophe. The responses by local rescue teams, and government agencies, the twin towers demise, the Pentagon crash, and the 4th plane with the heroic passengers crash in a field, are all grim reminders of that fatal day.

The investigation by the commission digs way back, decades in fact,to follow the course of terrorism. It looks to see if all that could have been done was done. It answers many questions about how Bin Laden and his thugs organized and carried out their missions. All done in hindsight, but still leaves you with a chilling feeling that if more isn't done between the various governmental agencies to communicate with each other, that this may very well happen again. After recounting the signs and the events, and the very serious recommendations for immediate changes, the final act of the commission was to give a report card of the actions and responses to the findings by Congress and the President. As commission member James R Thompson put it: "The results are dismal".

The book is an excellent clear cut look, and informative and easy read of the entire picture.It spells out the past and what may be the future.The facts. And although, done in comic book fashion, this book is no joke.'Graphic Adaptation' means just that. I found it at times very tough to take, and I couldn't read it straight through.. The images of the all too real tragedy, and bloody battles in the planes, stayed with me, for quite some time. So it may not be for everyone.

Thanx....Laurie

I wish more reports were put in graphic novel format, I think they would be huge sellers. The drawings make the characters come alive. It's almost like reading a movie. This is a fast read, enjoyable, entertaining, and it seems to be accurate. It puts everything in perspective and doesn't lay blame on one person but on all govt. agencies and politicians.

Communication methods used can influence the attitude of the listener/viewer towards the message being sent. Capitalizing on that observation, an abridged version of the 9/11 Report is now available in a graphic novel format.

A graphic novel format, a comic book for my generation, has long been used in technical training settings. Initially I was very suspicious of the approach, but I was pleasantly surprised. The 9/11 Report is comprehensive in scope, for the 133 page book is subdivided into twelve sections, including "We have some planes and "What to do? A global strategy", yet stays remarkably true to the actual commission's report.

Jacobson and Colon, seasoned graphic artists, have produced a visually engaging work that will expand the audience for the Commission's important findings. This graphic adaptation is an important contribution to the growing body of 9/11 literature. It deserves a place on your bookshelf next to the Commission's report.

No American will ever forget where they were on September 11, 2001. THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT has been widely touted as containing information regarding the timeline of the attacks as well as the responses by the multiple agencies involved. Recommendations for future preparedness have also been provided so that the same mistakes will not occur should America ever suffer such an attack again. Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon have taken that report and made it accessible to those more willing to read a graphic novel than a lengthy report.

THE 9/11 REPORT: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION will provoke strong emotions as the poignant drawings bring back the horrors of that day. Both tears and anger are sure to accompany any reading of this powerful graphic novel. The stark drawings evoke the sense of helplessness that all of America felt as we watched the collapse of the Twin Towers. The authors are to be commended for remaining tasteful while still conveying the emotional impact of that day.

Americans alive on that fateful day in September 2001 will never forget what happened. THE 9/11 REPORT: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION is a powerful tool to ensure that future generations do not forget while providing recommendations to prevent future attacks. The realism is evident throughout this adaptation of the Commission's report and provides some insight to those more visually oriented. This profound book should be required reading for all Americans.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I have never read the original report, as I guessed as an offical document it would be a rather dry read, so this condensed graphic adaption came in handy and as soon as it was available I ordered it from amazon.
I was not disappointed as in my view the authors have done a great job in visualizing the report. The comic strip format works for the most part surprisingly well. Take for instance the first chapter, which details the horrible events taking place aboard flights American Airlines 11 and 77 and United Airlines 175 and 93, from the moment Mohammad ATTA and his co-conspirators boarded their respective planes to the midair hi-jacking to the horrifying impact in the twin towers, the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania. These appalling almost simultanous events are visualized in a timeline, which allows you to view them in their contemporaneity.
Generally speaking, the graphic format works well, when there is some narrative (like in the chapters concerning the emergence of al-Qaeda from anti-Soviet resistance fighters during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan to an islamistic terrorist organisation, chronicling the many attacks al-Qaeda planned [like the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Saalam or the October 12, 2000 attack on the USS COLE], the futile attempts of the CLINTON administration to have bin-LADIN killed or handed over, or the actual preparation of the 9/11 atrocities.) On the other hand, the comic book format works less well in the chapters concerning the 9/11 commission`s recommendations regarding the structural and procedural reforms of government agencies. Also, these parts of the comic book are a bit dry. This is however not the report`s fault, it is only natural given the nature of these more abstract topics.
The drawings are for the most part great, although some persons don't really look like their real-life counterparts (particularly President BUSH). I give kudos to author and artist, who have done a great job in visualizing the 9/11 report.
Overall a hugely recommended read - don't be put off by the fact that this is a comic book! I am pretty certain that it will also appeal to people who usually do not read comics.

I checked out three or four editions of the Report and this one was the best. Not only did it have the most comprehensive index, but it contains the report cards that came after the report and had a recent introduction It also has the 'third monograph' which contains a truly gripping account, minute-by-minute of what happened on the flights. Don't see the movie--buy the book!

Author
Kushner, M.
The Truth
About Caffeine

I am buying this book now, to save for when my four year old gets much older. I think it will be a good way to learn the history and events prior to, during and the resolutions made regarding 9-11-01.

I read it this morning (on-line) and found it very informative, and much shorter the the 9/11 Omission report.

This book is a visual version of the 9/11 Commission Report, and a mighty incredible one too, if I may add. The powerful images capture the reader's attention and provides a profound insight to the Commission's report in a way which could not have been achieved in a different manner. As the age old adage goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and that is proven to be true with this book.

Akin to the style of Art Speigleman's "Maus" and Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis," The 9/11 Report is a must-read for all! If I were still a High School U.S. Government and History teacher, this would be a required book for my students to read.

A book which is suitable for all audiences and readers, it is one which cannot be passed over.

Sid Jacobson's "The 9/11 Report" is a great book for readers looking for detailed visual information regarding the horrendous attack against on American soil during that infamous day in 2001 from a condensed version of the genuine report. There is also a great deal of information that describes this event. Through its use of comics, the book is easy to read and understand and it makes you think about the lives that were taken on that day.

I had sold my dry copy of "The 9/11 Report" and have devoured this very appealing alternative. I'm buying more copies for gifts, especially for those who don't like to read.

Without a doubt, many other subjects (even textbooks) will move up to this attractive format, thus increasing the readership of many would-be "dust-collectors".

I'm now addicted to graphic illustration.

Make your children read this instead of Spiderman. It is a faithful rendition of the 9/11 Commission Report. The most important points of the Report are the basis of this graphic novel. It gives individual faces to the Islamic terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks, and the earlier ones. They are people, with different heights and body shapes, facial features and clothing styles. They are not just hard to understand names.

The novel opens with 4 parallel timelines, one for each of the planes hijacked on 9/11. It uses the conventions of comics and graphic novels, such as dialog bubbles and narrative captions and word sound effects.

I found the original report of the Commission easy to read (the footnotes in the back were also interesting), but this graphic novel brought to life the terror we should all feel. Unfortunately, there are people out there who, faceless and nameless to us, want to see us all dead.

I managed to avoid reading about 9/11 for the past five years. What made me buy the "The 9/11 Report, a Graphic Adaptation" was a curiosity about how the author's expressed the issues of the report in visual terms. However, once I started to read the book, I couldn't help but be engaged in 9/11 itself. Some of my criticisms are more about the report than the graphic adaptation so I'll separate them out.

As to the report, I think it fails to address some of the fundamental questions I have about 9/11.

*For example, why was there no attempt to protect the second tower from attack? There
were seventeen minutes which in terms of national security is a long time. If the
Russians launched a missile attack on NYC in the eighties, clearly a lot would happen in
the minutes after the first missile was launched. Granted, there wasn't the opportunity
to detect the threat with these airplanes much before the first one hit its target but
certainly by the time the plane hit the building, an immediate response should have
occurred within in minutes. Why was there not even an attempt within in a 17 minute
window?

*How did the WTC structures collapse so neatly and quickly from the planes' attacks?

*Did the terrorists intend to bring down the towers? If so, how did they know how to
exploit its structural weakness?

*Why did the second tower hit collapse first?

*What is the relationship between the terrorists who are generally well-educated and the
generally poor economic and social conditions of the Arab world?

*If economic development doesn't address Islamic terrorism, what other options are there
to prevent its growth?

As to the graphic version, I really like the timeline of the four planes tracked in four planes across the pages. That communicated much of the horror and incompetence that makes up this tragic story. I also thought that showing maps and flags to make graphic points about where the terrorists come from was also effective. There were also effective action frames that added vividness to the notion of our vulnerability and to the terrorist's vicious tenacity.
However, I thought there should have been a cast of terrorist planners as well as a cast of hijackers. More information could have been provided beneath each of their pictures to get a demographic feel for the threat we face. What was their nationality? Marital status? Education and occupation? Another failing is not detailing the sites of the attacks. More detail showing how the planes entered the WTC buildings, where were the people on various floors and how exactly did the planes enter the buildings. It also would have been nice to see a map of the area around the crash-site of flight 93.

Overall, I think that the report, while underwhelming in scope and analysis, is bold in terms of avoiding partisanship. That is important if its recommendations are to be followed. The graphic adaptation does its job too. I feel like I have a firm grasp of the key issues, failings and recommendations that come out of the report. Unfortunately, I don't have as clear a sense of the players involved.

Well, one could always read the full comission report, but few will..! This illustrated book is ideal, easy to read and, as mentioned by some members of the 9/11 report, follows the report to the point. You can spend a day reading this book or try to read the big, original one. The illustrations are beautiful, the information fascinating, and some subtle humor thrown in there is also amazing. Reading this version may spark your interest to read the full report, but even if it does not, you will be glad you at least read this shorter one.

I just finished this book and I am glad I got it. This conveys the mistakes that lead to 9/11 a lot better than the original version could. The FBI agent hiding a report from the justice agent, seeing the missed opportunities are seen so clearly in this method-a good way to get a basic understanding of what went wrong.

I am a real fan of serious graphic novels and the use of the form to add power to the communication through words. If you have read, or tried to read, the official 9/11 Report you probably struggled in trying to organize and visualize all the detail conveyed in the words. I thought the report was very well written, but it is still hundreds of pages long and has a great amount of information that is easy to let slip into a cloud.

The authors of this graphic adaptation have long experience in telling stories in comic books and are masters of the form of the graphic novel. As they read the official report they soon realized that they could use their skills to make the information more accessible to more people. Thomas Kean, the former chairman of the 9/11 commissions said of this project "when I first heard about it, I was very concerned. But when I looked at it, it was absolutely accurate." Chair Kean and Vice-Chair Hamilton thought enough of this work to provide the foreword in this book.

I have to say that when I first heard about this book, I had no idea what it was. Would it be an abridged version of the report with photos? When I saw what it was and read it I was most impressed by the amount of information it conveys and how the pictures aid understanding, clarify timelines and activities, and add to the emotional impact of the report.

This is not a dumbed down version of the report, nor does it change the meaning of the report, nor does it editorialize on what it says. This means that the strengths and weaknesses of the report are the strengths and weaknesses of this book. Where you agree with the report (or disagree), you will agree (or disagree) with this graphic adaptation. I think this is a terrific achievement and increases the value of the book. Certainly, the official version has more material than could be presented here (but there is a LOT here - just some of it conveyed in pictures) and must be consulted if you want to debate or criticize the report. Because the authors (artists?) of this book keep the same organization as in the official report, it is easy to compare the two.

Honestly, this is an important part of American history and the official report is important to know. If you have found the official report a challenge, read this version. Get your kids to read it. Have a family discussion about it with everyone reading from this graphic adaptation. We will all be better off when everyone is aware of what really happened that day and what led up to it. Getting pieces of the story or speculation from TV and blogs really are not enough. I showed this book to some college students and they were quite enthusiastic about it and expressed a strong desire to read it because of its presentation format. While I would wish that reading a few hundred pages of text would not be too daunting for such students, the reality in our visual age is that this book will likely be read by more people than the official text (regardless of the number purchased of the official version - remember purchased does not equal read).

I saw a quote from the great Stan Lee and feel that it deserves to be quoted, "Never before have I seen a nonfiction book as beautifully and compellingly written and illustrated as "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation". I cannot recommend it too highly. It will surely set the standard for all future works of contemporary history, graphic or otherwise, and should be required reading in every home, school, and library." Well, is that strong enough for you?

Thanks to the authors for doing this, for the chairs of the commission for looking it over to make sure it is right, and to Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux for publishing this beautifully executed work.

I have read both the original 9-11 Commission Report and this graphic adaptation. The graphic adaptation is an excellent accessory to the original report.
Although some might find the "graphic novel" look off-putting, it contains the same information in the original report in a more accessible format. The fold-out time-line of the Sept. 11 events in the hardcover edition is an excellent resource all by itself.
The softcover edition has the same information as the hardcover edition at less cost, except the softcover time-line does not fold out.
I recommend either edition for a family library...the graphic adapation for the kids, and/or for adults wanting an easy-to-scan companion to the original 9-11 Commission Report.

I wasn't one of the millions who read the historic 9/11 commission report issued several years ago--or even purchased one. I had no desire to plow through over 500 pages of information and I wonder how many people read the entire document. When I learned about this graphic novel treatment and that it accurately reflected the full report, I ordered a copy.

I'll admit that I don't read many graphic novels but I read every frame and every page of this document. It is a sobering account of the state of preparedness of the United States for a terrorist attack. According to the national chairman and vice chairman of the 9/11 commission, this book is reflective of the tone and spirit of the original report.

Authors Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon have served the broad public with this well-done book. I recommend it for readers of all ages.

Comics have come a long way, even since the sixties when intellectuals started taking Batman, Superman, and Spiderman seriously. _Maus_ by Art Spiegelman, for instance, was the serious story of Spiegelman's father in the Holocaust, and Spiegelman's problematic relationship with him; it was a quietly magnificent history and memoir, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. _From Hell_ by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell was an examination of Jack the Ripper's story that was as dense as a novel, and with lots of reference notes to boot. If you have been watching comics climb in respectability, they have just mounted upon another rung. It is hard to class _The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation_ (Hill and Wang) by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón as a comic book, for it certainly is deadly serious rather than comic, and it isn't a "graphic novel", the category by which the genre goes now. It is the famous _Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States_ but told in the comic book form. The original prose work, widely praised and even nominated for a National Book Award, was a bestseller when it came out in July 2004. It had 600 pages, while the current one has 133.

Yet this is a condensation of the report, not a dumbing-down of it. Most of the words in it (in the san-serif capitals traditional to comics) come directly from the original report, which is in the public domain. There are some pages that could not have been done better in any format. The book starts with a timeline, four rows extending for twelve pages, counting off the hours of that morning for each of the four flights. The atrocities within each plane and each flight's violent end are drawn, and all readers following the streams will try to remember what was going on at the same time in their own lives that day, and when they started hearing about the crashes. Following one timeline is another, similar one for each plane, showing the "Awareness, Notification, and Response" of flight controllers, the FAA, NORAD, and the air defense sector of the region. Along with maps, these timelines make the flow of the events of the morning comprehensible. The style of the drawings is obviously that of the comic books in which both authors are experienced. These are not young guys promoting a new version of their art. Jacobson, 76, created the "Richie Rich" series and was the editor of Harvey Comics. Colón, 75, drew Richie, and also Casper the Friendly Ghost, before moving on to the more superhero-themed DC Comics. The book sticks to the original report, although it includes imagined pictures of events that happened within the airplanes and within the towers for which there is no documentation. Necessarily, the book does show that people working within agencies of the government were acting at cross purposes at times during the day, just as the FBI, CIA, and military intelligence had failed in the preceding months to share information rather than hoarding it. The confusion of first responders because of the inadequate communications between them is another illustrated failing. One part of the story violates the comic book rule of showing rather than telling; a caption showing a burning and crumbling tower says, "As time grew short and desperate, civilians leaped from the North Tower upper floors." The artists could not bring themselves to draw such an occurrence.

Of course, as in the original report, there are obvious targets for blame, though the commission admitted it was writing "with the benefit and the handicap of hindsight". With its historic view, Clinton does not get let off the hook, although among the difficulties he had in taking action is listed his preoccupation with his impeachment. The commission's view of how well the current government has done in implementing its recommendations is the last page of the report, and it looks like it gets a D. The phrase "constructive criticism" was coined for an effort such as the commission's, and the comic book version can only help get the word out. "Respectful" is not a word usually associated with the comics, but the authors here have shown respect to the report and to the nation that was under attack that day. They have made a useful and unique book to help us understand the events before, during, and after 9/11.

While it would be a challenge to describe a book that chronicles one of the most horrible moments in American history as an enjoyable read, this book, this graphic novel, somehow takes the formidable, daunting task of trying to read and completely absorb the detailed report that "The 9/11 Commission" issued in 2005, and makes it palatable, makes it readable and understandable for everyone. (Which is an accomplishment anyone who has ever tried to sit down and read the original report will no doubt respect.) "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation" takes a report that everyone in America should read and makes this an accessible possibility...

Thanks to the work of Sid Jacobson & Ernie Colon anyone interested could pick it up and comprehend not just the event of 9/11 itself but the actions and inaction's that lead to the murder of 2,973 Americans. This book explains where our leaders failed across the board in a nonpolitical, straightforward manner, allowing the reader to see that no one person allowed this to happen or could have prevented it and that changes must be made to prevent an event like this from ever happening again... It should be made available in every school and library in the country.

While it's surely not the last word on the topic it's an honorable tribute to not just 9/11 but to both Yankee ingenuity and the necessity to make information accessible to everyone, to provide this report in the form of a graphic novel.

As Stan Lee says on the back cover "I cannot recommend it too highly..."